The genetic background of metabolic trait clusters in children and adolescents

Background: It is well known that the metabolic risk factors of cardiovascular diseases are correlated, but the background of this clustering in children is more poorly known than in adults. Thus, we studied the contribution of genetic and environmental factors to the clustering of metabolic traits in childhood and adolescence. Methods: Nine metabolic traits were measured in 214 complete twin pairs aged 3 to 18 years in the Autonomous Region of Madeira, Portugal, in 2007 and 2008. The variation of and covariations between the traits were decomposed into genetic and environmental components by using classical genetic twin modeling. Results: A model including additive genetic and environmental factors unique for each twin individual explained the variation of the metabolic factors well. Under this model, the heritability estimates varied from 0.47 (systolic blood pressure in children under 12 years of age) to 0.91 (HDL cholesterol in adolescents 12 years of age or older). The most systematic correlations were found between adiposity (body mass index and waist circumference) and blood lipids (HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and triglycerides), as well as blood pressure. These correlations were mainly explained by common genetic factors. Conclusions: Our results suggest that obesity, in particular, is behind the clustering of metabolic factors in children and adolescents. Both general and abdominal obesity partly share the same genetic background as blood lipids and blood pressure. Obesity prevention already in childhood is important in reducing the risk of metabolic diseases in adulthood.

Keywords

Metabolic syndrome Genetics Twins Children Adolescents Portugal . Faculdade de Ciências da Vida

URI

http://hdl.handle.net/10400.13/2977

Citation

Silventoinen, K., Gouveia, E., Jelenkovic, A., Maia, J., Antunes, A. M., Pinheiro de Carvalho, M. A., ... & Freitas, D. (2017). The genetic background of metabolic trait clusters in children and adolescents. Metabolic Syndrome and Related Disorders, 15(7), 329-336.